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Tag: Moses

Did Moses Write the Pentateuch?

Bruce Gerencser 2 Comments
moses writes the bible

Most Bible scholars outside of the Evangelical ghetto believe the Pentateuch/Torah — the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — was written by multiple authors over centuries. Many Evangelicals, on the other hand, believe Moses wrote the Pentateuch — an absurd claim if there ever was one. If you are unfamiliar with why this position is absurd, give the Wiki on the subject a read.

Thinking that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible leads to all sorts of apologetic gymnastics and wild explanations for things in the text that make Mosaic authorship an impossibility. Is Moses authored the book of Deuteronomy, explain chapter 34, verses 4-8:

And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

If Moses wrote Deuteronomy, how is it possible he also wrote his obituary? Absurd, right? I know all the explanations Evangelicals give to explain how this is possible, but none of them seem plausible. No, it is far more likely that an unknown author tacked on his account of Moses’ death long after he died. Problem solved, but many Evangelicals can’t accept that explanation because Bible literalism forced them to accept that Moses wrote the Pentateuch and he somehow mentioned his demise before he died, centuries after his death.

Here’s another. Take Numbers 12:3:

(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

If Moses wrote the Pentateuch, he sure had a high opinion of himself. the Bible has a lot to say about the sin of pride, does it not? No, it is far more likely that an unknown author added this description of the humble, meek Moses long after he was dead. Of course, if you are an Evangelical who believes in the transcription theory — God gave Moses the words to write, he was just a secretary — problem solved. Just remember, when facing an insurmountable problem with the Biblical text, appeal to faith and the supernatural. Problem solved.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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Should Vesuvian- or Plinian-type Volcanic Eruptions be Renamed?

Bruce Gerencser 14 Comments
mt vesuvius eruption

Guest Post By Ryan Thompson

Thompson has a Master of Science in Geoscience from Colorado State University, worked in the petroleum industry for over a decade, teaches science online, and self-identifies as a young earth creationist. He is the author of Revelation’s Geology: A Believing Geoscientist’s Investigation of Prophesied Catastrophe & Rescue.

When most people describe volcanic eruptions, the type that is most often depicted is that of what geologists call a Vesuvian-type eruption, named after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE that destroyed the region of Pompeii. This type of eruption is also commonly called a Plinian-type eruption as it was described in great detail by Pliny the Younger in two letters to his uncle.

Pliny described a dark cloud rising rapidly upward from Mount Vesuvius and being lit up by flames and large flashes of lightning. He then described thick, hot cinders and ash raining back down near the mountain, while further away the ash spread out resulting in a lurid darkness spread over the region. Strong earthquakes were also described.

Pliny’s wonderfully complete description of this type of eruption earned him the honor of having all subsequent eruptions of this type bear his name. Some geologists prefer to name geologic events after a type location however, which is why some refer to this type as a Vesuvian eruption. 

But was Pliny the first to fully describe such an eruption, or does a more ancient author deserve this honor? Science has a long history of memorializing the first, and yet in this instance, the first has been overlooked. The eruption of Mount Sinai in 1459 BCE, give or take a few years, was fully described by Moses. Therefore, this type of eruption should, by convention, be called a Mosaic- or Sinaian-type eruption.

Pliny’s description is considered to be a first because it contains certain criteria, all of which are also found in the description by Moses. These are:

1) a rapidly rising, hot cloud of ash and other volcanic material

2) lightning caused by static electric charges as the material is ejected upwards

3) flames or burning material known today as lava

4) thick darkness covering the surrounding region as the ash settles

5) strong earthquakes

“…the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.” Deuteronomy 4:11

“…there were thundering and lightnings… Its smoking ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” Exodus 19:16,18

The necessary criteria appears to be only lacking a description of ash. However, the Hebrew word used here for darkness, is the same Hebrew word used to describe the plague of darkness that settled on Egypt just a couple of months before. That darkness was described as a “darkness which may even be felt” (Exodus 10:21) indicating the presence of particles in the air causing the darkness—in other words, ash.

One potential point of controversy in renaming this type of eruption after Sinai might be that the exact location of the mountain has been lost to history and is only known to be somewhere in Arabia’s rift region where such eruptions have been documented. Not knowing the exact location should not be a problem as scientific convention still honors the first description even when the type is lost. There are many examples in biology where the type specimen of a new specie has been lost.

Another argument for its rejection would be that acceptance of the historicity of this event is limited to the realm of believers in Judeo-Christian religions. However, outside of the Bible, the Quran also portrays this event as historical.

“We made the mountain tower high above them at their pledge…” An Nisa 4:154

“…when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble…” Al Araf 7:143

Not only does the Quran affirm the historicity of the account, but just like the Torah, it marvels at the ability of the Creator to manifest Himself within such awesome displays of power within His creation. Will the skeptics also one day marvel when the whole earth is bathed in a thick and gloomy volcanic darkness? A future day is described by two later authors who use the same Hebrew word for darkness that Moses used (Joel 2:2 and Zephaniah 1:15). In Revelation, John also describes a future plague of darkness that is painful (Revelation 16:10). Could these prophecies be hinting at a future time of significant volcanic activity? Maybe then fellow geologists will accept calling these Sinaian-type eruptions.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Despite No Evidence for the Existence of Moses, He Wrote the First Five Books of the Bible

Bruce Gerencser 5 Comments
moses

This is always the thought of the unbeliever. They think that secular records were the inspiration for the biblical writers even though that cannot possibly be true. There is no record of Moses coming in contact with anyone from the Greek region or that he had even heard the story.

This contrary claim just comes from the minds of those who seek to make the Bible a human book. They cannot produce one shred of evidence their claim is true, just like the biblical scholars who claim much of the OT was taken from Babylonian myths and written in the 5th to 7th centuries BC.

….

If God cannot write original material, what does that say about God? A question you can answer for yourselves. One point would be that God is not who he says he is. That would be devastating to Christians everywhere.

But since God is who he says he is, then it is a fact that Hesiod copied from the Bible. Unbelievers love to twist history to fit what they want it to be instead of accepting it as it was. Believing what God wrote is a part of faith and that pleases God.

— Derrick Thomas Thiessen, TheologyArcheology: A Site for the Glory of God, Pandora’s Box 2, November 20, 2023

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Billy Graham Was as Great as Moses

Bruce Gerencser 6 Comments
anne graham lotz

When he [Billy Graham] died, that was something very strategic from heaven’s point of view. I know that before the foundations of the world were laid, Feb. 21, 2018 was the date that God chose to take my father home. Why?

Moses was the great liberator. He brought millions of people out of bondage, slavery, got them to the edge of the promised land, and God took him to heaven.

My father was also a great liberator. He brought millions of people out of bondage to sin, and gets us to the edge of heaven, the edge of the promised land, and God has called him home. And could it be that God is going to bring Joshua [Jesus] into the promised land, lead us into heaven?”

I believe this is a shot across the bow of heaven, and I believe God is saying, ‘Wake up, church! Wake up, world! Wake up, Anne! Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming.

Jesus said that when the gospel is preached to the whole world as it is today in this service, as it is through churches, missionaries, ministries, Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, When the gospel is preached, then the end will come.

— Anne Graham Lotz, Daughter of Billy Graham, Quotes from a CHARISMA Article

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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The Origin of Yahweh by Dr. Christine Hayes

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments
christine hayes yale university

A regular reader by the name of Diana, sent me links to several videos by Dr. Christine Hayes, professor of religious studies in Classical Judaica at Yale University. Dr. Hayes does a great job explaining where and how Yahweh originated. The first video is five minutes in length, the second is 45 minutes long.

Enjoy!

Video Link

Video Link

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

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Recommended Reading: The Bible Unearthed by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman

Bruce Gerencser 2 Comments

the bible unearthed

Several commenters have been discussing the historicity of Old Testament events such as the Exodus. You can read their comments here.  A good book on this subject is The Bible Unearthed: Archeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. 383 pages long, The Bible Unearthed is an excellent primer on current scholarship (as of 2001) as it relates to the historical events recorded in the Old Testament.  Much like Bart Ehrman’s books, The Bible Unearthed is written to appeal to non-scholars; people interested in the historicity of the events and people found in the Bible,

About Israel Finkelstein:

Israel Finkelstein is an Israeli archaeologist and academic. He is the Jacob M. Alkow Professor of the Archaeology of Israel in the Bronze and Iron Ages at Tel Aviv University. Finkelstein is widely regarded as a leading scholar in the archaeology of the Levant and a foremost applicant of archaeological data in reconstructing biblical history

About Neil Asher Silberman

Neil Asher Silberman (born June 19, 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an archaeologist and historian with a special interest in history, archaeology, public interpretation and heritage policy. A graduate of Wesleyan University, he studied Near Eastern archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Awarded a 1991 Guggenheim Fellowship, he is a contributing editor to Archaeology.

You can purchase The Bible Unearthed here.

Finkelstein and Silberman also wrote a book titled, David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible’s Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition. You can purchase the book here. I have not personally read this book.